(July 11, 2002) - Macromedia®, Inc. has announced the immediate availability of Macromedia Flash Player 5 for the iPAQ Pocket PC from Hewlett-Packard. Macromedia has also launched the Mobile Development Center with articles, sample applications, and content development kits to help developers get started creating device content and applications with Macromedia Flash MX. Macromedia Flash MX contains new features and templates that enable rapid creation of content and applications for Internet-enabled devices. HP includes Macromedia Flash support with the recently released iPAQ H3900 series Pocket PC devices.

HP now commands nearly 80 percent of the market share for Pocket PC devices, according to Gartner Dataquest. Macromedia's vast development community of more than one million Macromedia Flash designers and developers will help revolutionize the rich multimedia experience on handheld computers.

"The iPAQ Pocket PC enables customers to manage their most critical business and personal information while on the go," said Sean Burke, vice president, HP Smart Handhelds. "Including support for Macromedia Flash Player will give our customers access to rich multimedia content and applications that take advantage of the advanced graphics and performance of the iPAQ Pocket PC and meet the growing demands of business professionals and consumers alike."

Companies like Lee Jeans and Microsoft are already delivering applications and content created in Macromedia Flash MX for Pocket PC 2002-based handheld PCs. Microsoft relies on Macromedia Flash for their interactive Pocket PC demo for both sales representatives and customers to show off the Pocket PC 2002 operating system. The demo runs on the device itself and demonstrates the features of the new OS that are particularly valuable to enterprise customers.

Designers and developers gain additional market opportunities for their content and applications by delivering Macromedia Flash content that can be used across Internet-enabled devices including wireless handsets, PDAs, set-top boxes, game consoles, and Internet appliances. Many consumer electronics manufacturers, mobile carriers, and service providers are using Macromedia Flash content as a value-added service to differentiate themselves from their competitors. By giving customers engaging content specifically tuned for their devices, these companies are able to increase customer retention and add potential new revenue streams.

Macromedia Flash MX is the fastest way to create rich Internet content and applications with a better return on investment across the broadest range of platforms and devices. The new Macromedia Flash MX development environment ships with templates for Pocket PC devices to streamline content development. Content and applications can also be created in Macromedia Flash MX to run on devices that support earlier versions of Macromedia Flash Player. For more detailed information, go to www.macromedia.com.